East Meets West, a program of Thrive Networks

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East Meets West, a program of Thrive Networks

East Meets West is an international NGO pioneering evidence-based programs in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), healthy cities, and resilient communities.

In the United States, we are known as Thrive Networks. East Meets West’s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of underserved communities in Southeast Asia by working in concert with the public and private sectors. We began in 1988 as East Meets West to help the people of Vietnam, where we continue to innovate today. In Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, we continue to operate under the name Ea

st Meets West. Our expertise is built on over 37 years of experience of designing, testing, and implementing cutting-edge, evidence-based programs in water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), economic empowerment, gender equity, healthy cities and resilient community development to serve underserved populations in Southeast Asia, using innovating financing and service delivery models. For more information, please visit: https://thrivenetworks.org/

In the United States, East Meets West Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is committed to accountability, transparency, and high ethical standards in all aspects of program implementation and governance.

05/29/2026

🤝 𝐀 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐨𝐬!

On 22 May 2026, East Meets West Foundation officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 (MPWT), 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲, to launch 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝟓 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜-𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭."

The signing ceremony and meeting were honorably chaired by Mr. Ngampasong Muongmany, Vice Minister of MPWT, with active participation from senior leadership and technical teams across the ministry.

This partnership, made possible through the support of charity: water , Spellbrook Foundation , and Global Development Group marks the beginning of something meaningful bringing safe, reliable, and climate-Resilient water to communities that have waited long enough.

💧 𝟐𝟗,𝟎𝟏𝟒 people across 19 villages in Vientiane Province and Vientiane Capital will gain access to clean water. Covering 𝐌𝐞𝐭, 𝐌𝐮𝐞𝐧, 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐦 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬.

🏘️ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫:
✅ Construction of 2 new piped water supply systems (Met and Pakngum Districts)
✅ Extension of 2 distribution networks (Muen District and Muangkao Village Cluster, Viengkham District)
✅ Capacity building for provincial and district Water Supply State Enterprises (Nampapa) and Village Water Committees
✅ Hygiene education for 2,600+ students across 15 primary schools
✅ Output-Based Aid (OBA) subsidies ensuring vulnerable households are not left behind.

Together with our government partners and private water operators, we're building systems that last not just infrastructure, but capacity, ownership, and resilience.

05/28/2026

🩸Today, on 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐲𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲, we recognize the importance of ensuring that all women can manage menstruation safely, confidently, and with dignity. This year’s theme, “𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 ,” reminds us that collective action is essential to break stigma and promote inclusion.

💧 Under the 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐑) 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, EMWF and local partners are integrating menstrual hygiene management training with gender equality and social inclusion activities in communities across Phu Tho and Thanh Hoa provinces.

🤝 Supported by 𝐉𝐓𝐈 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (JTI Vietnam Careers), the project not only improves access to climate-resilient water and sanitation services, but also empowers communities with knowledge and skills to make informed decisions for healthier futures.

📍Implemented during 2025–2026, the WICR project is expected to directly benefit 17,833 people through improved access to safe water and sanitation solutions adapted to local conditions and climate challenges.

🌍 Together, we can help break stigma, promote inclusion, and build communities where everyone has equal access to safe and sustainable WASH services. This Menstrual Hygiene Day, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing knowledge, dignity, and essential WASH services.

05/07/2026

🎉 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐍/𝐄𝐌𝐖𝐅!

We are pleased to share that our research article “𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐲𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚” has been officially published and is now available as an Open Access resource on ScienceDirect.

💡 More than 25% of the rural population relies on untreated water sources, while only 37% have access to safely managed sanitation. The study highlights how Climate-Resilient Water Safety Planning (CR-WSP) can strengthen system resilience, while also identifying key challenges such as limited technical capacity, gaps in climate data, and the need for stronger social inclusion.

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2616651826000035

🙏 Thank you to all partners and collaborators for making this publication possible!

04/13/2026

💦🎉 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐨 & 𝐊𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫! 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 🎉💦

Our project communities in Laos and Cambodia came together to celebrate the New Year with joy, laughter, and lots of water!

From playful splashes to shared traditions, these moments highlight the strong community spirit that drives our work every day.

💧 Water is not only part of celebration, it is essential for health, dignity, and opportunity.

We are proud to continue working with communities across Laos and Cambodia to expand access to safe and sustainable water services.

🙏 Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and refreshing New Year!

04/10/2026

At the end of March 2026, we organized the 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 for the 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 in Xayabury and Vientiane Provinces, Lao PDR.

🎖️𝐇.𝐄. 𝐍𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐮𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲, Vice Minister of Public Works and Transport, and 𝐇.𝐄. 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐲, Vice Governor of Xayabury Province, joined government counterparts, private sector partners, and development partners for site visits and the 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬.

These systems were developed under 𝐖𝐎𝐁𝐀 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐈𝐕, applying a 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜-𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 (𝐏𝐏𝐏) model combined with 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐢𝐝 (𝐎𝐁𝐀) financing to accelerate sustainable water service delivery.

💧 Together, these systems now provide reliable, safe, and sustainable access to clean water for more than 𝟐𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.

This achievement highlights the effectiveness of blended finance approaches—leveraging public, private, and donor resources—to deliver scalable and climate-resilient WASH services in rural and peri-urban Lao PDR.

👏 Strong collaboration among national and provincial governments, private operators, communities, and development partners remains essential to ensuring long-term sustainability.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our generous donors and partners - charity: water, Spellbrook Foundation, and Global Development Group - for their continued support in making this achievement possible.

03/30/2026

🌏 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐨𝐬💧

Following her recent visit to Vietnam, Ms. Melinda Griffith, Chair of the Board of Directors of Thrive Networks/East Meets West Foundation (EMWF), continued her journey to Laos—highlighting our ongoing efforts to expand sustainable and inclusive water access across the region.

🚰 During the visit, Melinda returned to several project sites she had previously followed, where water systems are now fully operational—collectively providing clean water to thousands of people each day. She also met with local operators and communities, and visited the EMWF Laos office, gaining deeper insights into system performance, long-term sustainability, and the positive impact on people’s daily lives.

🤝These moments reaffirm that sustainable impact comes not only from infrastructure, but from strong local partnerships, community ownership, and long-term commitment.

03/22/2026

💧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 | 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫💧

🌏 On the occasion of 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲, we’re pleased to share moments from the recent visit of Ms. Melinda Griffith, Chair of the Board of Director of Thrive Networks/East Meets West (EMW), to Vietnam. Her trip focused on advancing our clean water initiatives and strengthening our commitment to gender equity in WASH.

👩‍👩‍👧‍👦This year’s theme, “𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓,” reminds us that ensuring equal access to safe water—and amplifying women’s voices in water management—is key to building 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

👉A local media outlet has also covered the activities here:
https://truyenhinhthanhhoa.vn/pho-chu-tich-ubnd-tinh-cao-van-cuong-tiep-xa-giao-doan-cong-tac-cua-to-chuc-dong-tay-hoi-ngo-180260319214339654.htm

03/21/2026

💧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔💧

🚰Celebrating the power of clean water to transform lives.

👩‍👧‍👦This World Water Day, we highlight how access to safe water creates healthier families, stronger communities, and greater opportunities—especially for women and girls.

03/09/2026

📸 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

Real change begins when students take action.

In February, participating in schools demonstrated that a clean and healthy learning environment is not maintained by reminders alone, but through daily commitment, teamwork, and initiative.

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭:

💧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐲𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬
🎨 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
♻️ 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧

When students lead by example, they help create a culture of cleanliness, responsibility, and care that extends beyond the classroom and into their communities.

🏆 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 – 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

🥇 1𝑠𝑡 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒: 𝑁𝑎𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙
🥈 2𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒: 𝑃𝑎𝑘𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑀𝑎𝑖 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙
🥉 3𝑟𝑑 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒: 𝐵𝑢𝑎𝑚𝐿𝑎𝑜 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙

We proudly celebrate all participating schools that continue strengthening climate-resilient WASH practices through action.

♥️ These activities are supported by charity: water, Spellbrook Foundation, and Global Development Group, through the Accelerating Climate-Resilient WASH Service Delivery in Laos through Public–Private Partnerships Project.

03/07/2026

🌸 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

Today, we celebrate the 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉, 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 of women — in families, communities, and across the world.

💧In rural Vietnam, women like 𝑴𝒔. 𝑩𝒖̀𝒊 𝑻𝒉𝒊̣ 𝑴𝒖̛𝒐̛̣𝒕 spend 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒙 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒚 collecting water for their families. Access to safe water and sanitation is not just about infrastructure — it is about time, health, dignity, and opportunity.

✨𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛’𝑠 𝐷𝑎𝑦, 𝑤𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛-𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠.

👉 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐬. 𝐌𝐮̛𝐨̛̣𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://thrivenetworks.org/six-hours-a-day-for-water-the-story-of-ms-bui-thi-muot-in-phu-tho

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